While describing himself as a “rock-solid conservative,” Abbott said he has a unique perspective as someone who lives with a disability, married into a Hispanic family whose culture he values and, as a former judge, makes decisions by bringing everyone to the table.

“I see Texas from a complete different lens,” he said.

I'm trying to see that lens, because Abbott so far hasn't been shy about relying on the red-meat rhetoric we're used to in GOP primaries, and his campaign's insensitive tweets — mistakes or not — have shown something less than the empathy he says he feels for others.

He regularly slams President Obama's policies and talks up the state's lawsuits against the federal government as the ultimate “Don't Mess with Texas” move.

He says Texas must address challenges in education, transportation and water, speaking largely in generalities while certain of one thing: “We do this not by raising taxes.”

In a campaign video, he described a battle for freedom itself: “It takes warriors to defend freedom, patriots who are willing to step into the fight and secure the freedom that has elevated this nation to unparalleled position in American history.” That led to head-shaking from Texas Monthly's Paul Burka, who wrote, “This is a version of Greg Abbott I haven't seen before, one that is tea party all the way.”

And now there's another eyebrow-raising tweet leaving Abbott's camp open to Democratic charges of being offensive to women, just as Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, prepares to announce whether she'll seek the governorship.

His top political adviser, Dave Carney, re-tweeted this headline: “Total Recall in CO (and why Wendy Davis is too Stupid to be Governor).” The article cited the recall of two Colorado Democrats over gun restrictions and attacked Davis on the issue, calling her “even dumber than her fake blonde hair would imply” and “Abortion Barbie,” used by some Republicans because of Davis' much-noted filibuster against tighter abortion restrictions.

That came after Abbott thanked a Twitter supporter who called Davis “retard Barbie” (he later said he hadn't read that part of the tweet, telling TV station KTBC in Austin that he found the language reprehensible).

Abbott doesn't talk exclusively in red-meat sound bites. For example, he has touted his work to help children and women through his office's collection of child support and efforts against crimes such as human trafficking. He has yet to sketch out policy proposals in detail, and it's possible they'll reflect the empathy he said his life experience has brought him.

But for now, it's red meat and mistakes that are getting attention, at a time when people are just learning what Abbott's like.

The tough talk fits into what Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones calls Republicans' propensity to focus their campaigns on conservative GOP primary voters, because elections in Texas have for so long been decided in the primary.

But Abbott will have to keep the general election in mind if Davis runs. He wouldn't lose, given Texas' political landscape, Jones said, but he could be damaged if she does well against him — both in how he'd be viewed as governor and in future contests.

“If his image becomes one of an extreme conservative, that could hurt him down the road. For Greg Abbott, it's not going to be enough to win in 2014 ... For Abbott, it's important not only to win, but to win big,” Jones said. “His legitimacy and his power will be substantially weakened if he wins a narrow election against Wendy Davis.”